Dishwasher rack

ABSTRACT

A dishwasher having movable racks for holding the dishes during the washing thereof together with yieldable means located between the rack and an access door for insuring that the rack is always in proper position when the door is closed.

United States Patent [56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2.372.672 4/1945 Hultgren et a]. 312/274 3,246,939 4/1966 Petkwitz et a1. 312/274 3,383,148 5/1968 Dickens, Jr 312/311 3,387,905 6/1968 Lindenschmidt et a1. 312/274 Primary Examiner-James T. McCall Attorneys-James S. Nettleton, Thomas E. Turcotte, Gene A.

, Heth, Burton H. Baker, Donald W. Thomas, Frank C.

Harter and Hofgren, Wagner, Allen, Stellman & McCord ABSTRACT: A dishwasher having movable racks for holding the dishes during the washing thereof together with yieldable means located between the rack and an access door for insuring that the rack is always in proper position when the door is closed.

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DISHWASHER RACK One of the features of this invention is to provide a dishwasher that comprises a cabinet with an access door movable between open and closed positions, a dish-holding rack located in and movable relative to the interior of the cabinet and having spaced portions adjacent the door when the door is closed and yieldable means located between each of the spaced portions and the closed door for urging the rack inwardly of the interior of the cabinet when the yieldable members are engaged by the rack and the door.

A further feature of the invention is to provide such a dishwasher in which the yieldable members also include means for centering the rack with respect to the sidewalls of the cabinet on opposite sides of the access door.

A further feature of the invention is to provide a dishwasher of this type wherein the yieldable members include yieldable portions that not only aid in centering the rack within the cabinet but also prevent full insertion of the rack into the cabinet interior when the rack is reversed from its normal operating position.

Other features and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following description of certain embodiments thereof taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. Ofthe drawings:

FIG. I is a fragmentary perspective view of a dishwasher embodying the invention and showing a hinged access door in open position.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view showing a portion of the dishwasher in plan.

FIG. 3 is a view similar to FIG. 2 but illustrating the position of certain parts when there is an attempt to insert the dishholding rack into the cabinet in reverseposition.

FIG. 4 is a view similar to FIG. 2 but illustrating a second embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary side elevational view of the front endof the dish rack of the embodiment of FIG. 4.

In the embodiment of FIGS. 13 the dishwasher I corn prises a cabinet II having an interior l2 and an access door 13 hingedly movable between the closed position of FIG. 2 and the open position of FIG. 1. Located within the interior 12 of the cabinet 11 are the usual dish-holding racks of which one 14 is shown. This rack is movable relative to the interior 12 and in the illustrated embodiments is removable in its entirety from within the cabinet.

Each rack 14 has spaced portions 15 on opposite sides of the front of the rack of which one portion 15 only is shown with these portions 15 being located adjacent the door when the door is closed as is illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 4.

Each rack portion 15 in the embodiment of FIGS. 1-3 is provided with a yieldable member 16 that is located between each of these spaced portions I and the closed door for urging the rack 14 inwardly of the interior 12 of the dishwasher when the yieldable members 16 are engaged by the rack 14 and the door 13. In the embodiment of FIGS. l-3'of course the members 16 are engaged by the rack 14 by being mounted on the front portions of the rack.

The cabinet I] has interior sidewall means which in the embodiment of FIGS. 1-3 comprise the side door sealing gaskets l7 and each of the yieldable members 16 is provided with a yieldable portion 18 that engages this sidewall means or gasket 17 when the door is closed. This engagement centers the rack 14 with respect to the interior 12 of the cabinet 11 in? a side-to-side direction.

In the illustrated embodiment of FIGS. 1-3 the yieldable member 16 on each side portion I5 of the rack is of generally U-shape so as to have a pair of legs one of which comprises the yieldable portion 18 and the other of which I9 engages the rack 14 for mounting the member 16 thereon. Thus the member 16 is provided with a pair of outer surface channel indentations 20 arranged vertically and normally resiliently engaging vertical parts 21 and 22 of the rack 14. The forward end ofthe leg 19 includes an enlargement containing a vertical circular opening which snugly receives another vertical rack portion 23. Thus the yieldable member 16 is securely mounted on the rack at three spaced locations with the yieldable portion leg 18 being free to engage resiliently the door sealing gasket I7.

With this arrangement the laterally projecting yieldable portion leg 18 of each side member 16 by engagement with the side door sealing gasket 17 centers the rack 14 with respect to the interior 12 of the dishwasher. The rack is also centered properly with respect to its lengthwise direction by providing a forward projection 24 on the frontend of each member 16 which will be engaged by a surface portion 25 on the interior of the closed door 13 to move the rack 14 further inwardly if it is not already in proper position. As can be seen from FIG. 2, the rack in this embodiment has already been moved inwardly a sufficient distance to clear the closed door 13.

As stated earlier, the laterally and forwardly projecting yieldable leg portions 18 are distorted inwardly slightly by engagement with the doorsealing gaskets 17 in positioning the rack properly in the interior 12. Because these portions 18 extend outwardly with respect to the interior 12 of the door they prevent full insertion of the rack into the interior when the rack is reversed as illustrated in FIG. 3. When there is an attempt to so insert the reversed position rack the portions 18 which now extend in a reverse direction engage at their tips 26 the door sealing gaskets 17 to block this reverse insertion of the rack.

In the embodiment of FIGS. 4 and 5 the yieldable members comprise cylindrical resilient members 28 each of which has a central axial opening for receiving the vertical front rack portion 23. In this embodiment therefore the side elements on the cabinet which are engaged by the yieldable surface portion 28 of each member 27 are inwardly facing side surface'areas 29 on the door 13 itself as illustrated in FIG. 4.

The resilient centering means of this invention is important in centering each rack with respect to the interior which is important in the proper washing of the dishes. This is particularly true of certain dishwasher constructions such as that shown in Clearman U.S. Pat. No. 3,180,348 of Apr. 27, 1965 where dishwashing liquid is transferred from a bottom rack to a top rack by an open jetstream of the liquid. There the proper positioning of the racks is quite important.

The yieldable centering members have the additional advantage of keeping the racks away from the silverware basket illustrated at 30 in FIG. 1 so that the silverware contained both in the lower vertical sections of the basket and in the upper horizontal section 31 will be properly washed. Furthermore, these members 16 serve as bumpers to protect the protective coating 32 of the racks from being worn by abrasion contact with the door I3 as well as with the sidewalls of the cabinet.

Having described our invention as related to the embodiments shown in the accompanying drawings, it is our intention that the invention be not limited by any of the details of description, unless otherwise specified.

The embodiments of the invention in which we claim an exclusive property or privilege are defined as follows:

I. A dishwasher, comprising: a cabinet having an interior and an access door movable between open and closed position; a dish-holding rack located in and movable relative to said interior and having spaced portions adjacent said door when said door is closed; and yieldable members that are themselves distortable located between each of said spaced portions and said closed door for urging said rack inwardly of said interior when said yieldable members are engaged by said rack and door.

2. A dishwasher, comprising: a cabinet having an interior and an access door movable between open and closed position; a dish-holding rack located in and movable relative to said interior and having spaced portions adjacent said door when said door is closed; and yieldable members located between each of said spaced portions and said closed door for urging said rack inwardly of said interior when said yieldable members are engaged by said rack and door, said cabinet having interior sidewall means and each said yieldable member being provided with a yieldable portion positioned to engage said sidewall means.

3. The dishwasher of claim 2 wherein said yieldable portions are positioned to engage side elements on said cabinet that comprise said sidewall means.

4. The dishwasher of claim 3 wherein said side element comprise resilient gasket means for sealing said door to said cabinet.

5. The dishwasher of claim 2 wherein said yieldable portions are positioned to engage side elements .on said door that comprise said sidewall means.

6. The dishwasher of claim 2 wherein said rack is removable from said interior and said yieldable portions normally extend outwardly with respect to said interior and are distorted by engagement with said sidewall means when the rack is in proper position but which engage said sidewall means to block full insertion of said rack into said interior when the rack is reversed.

7. The dishwasher of claim 6 wherein each yieldable member is'tubular and is provided with means for fastening said members to said rack.

8. The dishwasher of claim 6 wherein each said yieldable member is of generally U-shape with a pair of legs, one of which is provided with means for fastening said member to said rack-and th'e'other of which comprises said outwardly extending yieldable portion. 

1. A dishwasher, comprising: a cabinet having an interior and an access door movable between open and closed position; a dishholding rack located in and movable relative to said interior and having spaced portions adjacent said door when said door is closed; and yieldable members that are themselves distortable located between each of said spaced portions and said closed door for urging said rack inwardly of said interior when said yieldable members are engaged by said rack and door.
 2. A dishwasher, comprising: a cabinet having an interior and an access door movable between open and closed position; a dish-holding rack located in and movable relative to said interior and having spaced portions adjacent said door when said door is closed; and yieldable members located between each of said spaced portions and said closed door for urging said rack inwardly of said interior when said yieldable members are engaged by said rack and door, said cabinet having interior sidewall means and each said yieldable member being provided with a yieldable portion positioned to engage said sidewall means.
 3. The dishwasher of claim 2 wherein said yieldable portions are positioned to engage side elements on said cabinet that comprise said sidewall means.
 4. The dishwasher of claim 3 wherein said side elements comprise resilient gasket means for sealing said door to said cabinet.
 5. The dishwasher of claim 2 wherein said yieldable portions are positioned to engage side elements on said door that comprise said sidewall means.
 6. The dishwasher of claim 2 wherein said rack is removable from said interior and said yieldable portions normally extend outwardly with respect to said interior and are distorted by engagement with said sidewall means when the rack is in proper position but which engage said sidewall means to block full insertion of said rack into said interior when the rack is reversed.
 7. The dishwasher of claim 6 wherein each yieldable member is tubular and is provided with means for fastening said members to said rack.
 8. The dishwasher of claim 6 wherein each said yieldable member is of generally U-shape with a pair of legs, one of which is provided with means for fastening said member to said rack and the other of which comprises said outwardly extending yieldable portion. 